Shakespeare and the blossoming of Jane Elizabeth Giraud

Library volunteer Hannah explores the life and work of Victorian botanical illustrator Jane Elizabeth Giraud.

Hannah Barker
12 Apr 2020

The library at the
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust houses many amazing and curious books waiting for
their stories to be told. One such curiosity is an illustrated book
titled: The Flowers of Shakespeare by
I.E. Giraud published in 1845. This book consists of beautifully lithographed
drawings of flowers, which are hand coloured, accompanying related quotations
from many of Shakespeare’s plays.

My eyes were
immediately drawn to three things: the vivid colour drawings, a publisher’s
mark stating that the illustrations were lithographed plates (published by
Hague & Day lithographers to the Queen) and personal dedication of the book
to Herbert Giraud the illustrator’s brother.

Jane Giraud

I.E. Giraud aka Jane
Elizabeth Giraud was born on 25th June 1810 to John Thomas Giraud a surgeon and
Mary Giraud in Faversham Kent. The Girauds were a prominent family in the town
and could claim Huguenot descent. It has been suggested by Catherine Martin,
author of Milton and Gender published
2014, that Jane would have lived in a well-educated family where discussions
around science, in all its forms, would have taken place. This seems plausible
given her younger brother Francis followed his father’s footsteps and became a
surgeon and her brother Herbert (who the book is dedicated to) became a
professor of chemistry, materia medica and botany in Bombay.

In Victorian England,
men were expected to dominate in the ‘public sphere’ of business and politics
whereas women were expected to exist in the ‘domestic sphere’ of home and
garden. It is not surprising then that a pastime for ladies from well off
families was botany and the drawing and painting of flowers. In fact, in the
mid-eighteenth century, women were leading in the field of botanical
drawing.

The fact that Jane
Giraud dedicated her book The Flowers of
Shakespeare to her brother Herbert is an interesting point. The dedication
reads:

To
Herbert Giraud Esq MD of the Hons of E.J.L.G. of Bombay,this
garland from his native land,is
dedicated by his sister,

Faversham
February 18th 1845.

A woman’s name in
Victorian times was seen to be sacred as was her reputation. The definitive
lines drawn by the society of a woman’s place in the ‘domestic sphere’, meant
that the use of a woman’s name in publications (which Jane did all be it as
I.E. Giraud) was seen as crass, unladylike and creeping into the ‘public
sphere’ of men. It has been suggested by Martin, that Jane’s inclusion of the
dedication to her brother was a subtle device to smooth over these prejudices
and instead altered the book to become a tribute to her brother and his
profession. While I believe that this argument has merit, I can’t help thinking
it could equally be a token of a love of the topic and a close bond shared
between brother and sister.

Many illustrations of
flowers became popular at this time whether they are drawn, painted or using
the medium of lithography. This ran alongside the Victorian’s fascination with
the meaning of flowers. This may explain why Jane’s book was The Flowers of Shakespeare as
Shakespeare had an acute understanding of the meaning of plants and used it
throughout his plays.

An illustration from The Flowers of Shakespeare

Shakespeare and
Flowers

How were flowers
described by Shakespeare? I will briefly look at three plants that Jane
illustrated to accompany Shakespeare’s quotations, giving a snapshot of how
Shakespeare used plants in his works.

“That
strain again, it had a dying fall.O,
it came o’er my ear like the sweet soundThat
breathes upon a bank of violets,Stealing
and giving odour.”

Twelfth Night Act1 scene 2.

Traditionally violets
represented faithfulness but for Shakespeare they were also symbolic of sorrow
and death due to their short life span, arriving in early spring but fading
before summer took hold. In this quote, Shakespeare uses the violet to highlight
Orisno’s desire to overdose “surfeit” on this musical love to the extent that
he will cease to desire and love. Shakespeare also shows how sweet and heady
love is by the violets “giving odour.” Here love is seen as something unwanted.

An illustration from The Flowers of Shakespeare

“There’s Rosemary,
that’s for remembrance,pray
you love remember.”

-Hamlet
Act 4 scene 5.

Herbs played an
important part in Elizabethan times. People would hang herbs to dry and in
larger houses; they had a still room for the sole purpose of drying herbs for
flavour but also medicines. Apothecaries (Elizabethan pharmacists) would
prescribe herbs and spices as remedies for many different illnesses. Rosemary
had various uses, for example, the stems when they had grown thick and tall
were used to make the musical instrument the lute, which was a key instrument
in Elizabethan music. Shakespeare however, as the quote suggests, linked
Rosemary to faithfulness and remembrance with a historical use in weddings and
funerals. At this stage in the play, it is clear that Ophelia is losing her
grip on reality. So when she speaks this line, Shakespeare hints to the
audience of Ophelia’s impending tragic death.

The cowslip in
Shakespeare’s time, like Rosemary, had duel purposes. It was a flower that was
collected in the late springtime and made into cowslip-balls or ‘tossies’. The
leaves of the cowslip could be used to make salves and the juice could be used
to soothe coughs. In the above quotation, however, Shakespeare uses the image
of cowslip, a symbol of spring, youth, and beauty as a juxtaposition to the
devastation of war in the kingdom of France.

What is Lithography?

Lithography was
invented in the late eighteenth century and is a printing process based on the
fact that grease and water don’t mix.

According to the
Tate-Modern Website, lithography is: “a printing process that uses a flat stone
or metal plate on which the image areas are worked using a greasy substance so
that the ink will adhere to them, while the non-image areas are made
ink-repellent.” This became a very popular way of printing during Jane’s
lifetime. It is no wonder that she chose this medium to print her beautiful
illustrations.

What happened to Jane?

Frustratingly it
becomes difficult to unearth official documents when finding out what happened
to women in history. Women did not have the same rights as men and were the
property of their father or husband. However, being a woman from a prominent
family, some clues were left behind. We know that Jane went on to illustrate a
further two lithographed books; The
Flowers of Milton and Floral Months
which has an imprint to the foot of the title:

"By
appointment to H.M. the Queen. H.R.H Prince Albert.The
Duchess of Kent and the Royal Family."

This indicates that
Jane’s standing as a lithographer to the Queen was still prised and that she
was now commissioned to produce her illustrations. This information also gives
us clues to her financial stability which is also highlighted in the census of
1841 which lists her mother aged 60 and Jane as 30, both living together on
independent means.

Jane died on 1st
December 1868. In her obituary, there is no mention of her illustrated
achievements, simply that she was related to the more prestigious male members
of her family. There was later, however, a small dedication to her by her
brother Herbert. He gave the gift of an organ to what was then a Victorian
almshouse. Under its pipes sat a plaque with the following inscription “This
organ is humbly dedicated to the Glory of God by Herbert J. Giraud in memory of
his dear sister Jane Elizabeth Giraud.” True this is a small token especially
considering her male relatives received more public monuments, but I’d like to
think once again that it symbolises a strong bond they shared between brother
and sister, over flowers, botany and Shakespeare’s amazing ability to use their
meanings to add depth and colour to his works.

The Flowers of Shakespeare (title page)

Further reading

Shakespeare and
flowers is a huge topic which this blog post can’t possibly attempt to cover. If you
would like to know more, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Library has a variety
of books on the subject. You can also view Jane Giraud’s book The Flowers of Shakespeare including
with illustrations and those mentioned in this blog at the online catalogue at
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust website.

Biography: (All books listed can be found in The
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Library)

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